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CHAPTER 10
Lehi descended from Manasseh— |
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1 NOW these are the
awords which bAmulek preached unto the
people who were in the land of Ammonihah, saying:
2 I am Amulek; I am the son of Giddonah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi; and it was the same Aminadi who interpreted the awriting which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God. 3 And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of aManasseh, who was the son of bJoseph who was csold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren.
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1a
Alma 9:34 b Alma 8:29 (21-29) 2a Dan. 5:16 3a Gen. 41:51; Josh. 17:1; 1 Chr. 7:14; 1 Chr. 9:3; 1 Ne. 5:14 b TG Israel, Joseph, People of c Gen. 37:36 (29-36)
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4 And behold, I am also a man of no small
areputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I
have many kindreds and bfriends, and I have also acquired
much riches by the hand of my cindustry.
5 Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his amysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people. 6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was acalled many times and I would not bhear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling cagainst God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.
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4a
Acts 5:34-39 b Alma 15:16 c TG Industry; TG Work, Value of 5a TG Mysteries of Godliness 6a 2 Chr. 33:10; Isa. 50:2; Alma 5:37 b D&C 39:9 c Acts 9:5
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7 As I was journeying to see a very near kindred, behold an
aangel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek,
return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a
holy man, who is a chosen man of God; for he has bfasted
many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou
shalt creceive him into thy house and feed him, and he
shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon
thee and thy house.
8 And it came to pass that I obeyed the voice of the angel, and returned towards my house. And as I was going thither I found the aman whom the angel said unto me: Thou shalt receive into thy house—and behold it was this same man who has been speaking unto you concerning the things of God. 9 And the angel said unto me he is a aholy man; wherefore I know he is a holy man because it was said by an angel of God.
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7a
Alma 8:20 b Alma 5:46; Alma 6:6 c Acts 10:30-35; TG Hospitality 8a Alma 8:19-21 9a TG Holiness
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10 And again, I know that the things whereof he hath testified are
true; for behold I say unto you, that as the Lord liveth, even so has he sent
his aangel to make these things manifest unto me; and this
he has done while this Alma hath bdwelt at my house.
11 For behold, he hath ablessed mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my father and my kinsfolk; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake.
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10a
Mosiah 3:2-3;
Alma 11:31 b Alma 8:27 11a 1 Sam. 2:20; Alma 8:22
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12 And now, when Amulek had spoken these words the people began to be
astonished, seeing there was amore than one witness who
testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things
which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them.
13 Nevertheless, there were some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning adevices they might catch them in their words, that they might bfind witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them. 14 Now it was those men who sought to destroy them, who were alawyers, who were hired or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at the trials of the crimes of the people before the judges.
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12a
Alma 9:6 13a Jer. 11:19; Lam. 3:62 (60-62); Alma 11:21 b Mark 14:55-60 14a Alma 10:24; Alma 11:21 (20-37); Alma 14:18, 23; 3 Ne. 6:11
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15 Now these lawyers were learned in all the arts and
acunning of the people; and this was to enable them that
they might be skilful in their profession.
16 And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him across his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.
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15a
Luke 20:23 16a Mark 12:13
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17 Now they knew not that Amulek could aknow of
their designs. But it came to pass as they began to question him, he
bperceived their
thoughtsa, and he said unto them: O
ye wicked and perverse cgeneration, ye lawyers and
hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundation of the devil; for ye are laying
dtraps and snares to catch the holy ones of God.
18 Ye are laying plans to apervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people. 19 Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should achoose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction.
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17a he perceived their thoughts Now not that Amulek did of himself know of their thoughts but that by the revelation of the spirit was it given unto Amulek's understanding. For it is the power of God which perceives and knows the thoughts of men and there by will men be eventually judged according to the thoughts and intents of their hearts. But it should be understood that the servants of God, by that power which is given unto them to accompany their administration, may know of the very thoughts of those to whom they do minister if it be the mind and the will of the God that they do so. |
17a
Luke 5:22 b Alma 12:3; D&C 6:16 c Matt. 3:7; Alma 9:8 d D&C 10:25 (21-27) 18a Acts 13:10 19a Alma 29:27; Alma 2:4 (3-7); Hel. 5:2
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20 And now I say unto you that well doth the Lord
ajudge of your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this
people, by the voice of his bangels: Repent ye, repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
21 Yea, well doth he cry, by the voice of his angels that: aI will come down among my people, with equity and justice in my hands. 22 Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the aprayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by bflood, as were the people in the days of cNoah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the dsword.
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20a
TG
Jesus Christ, Judge b Alma 8:14-16, 20; Alma 13:22 21a Mosiah 13:34 (28-35) 22a 1 Sam. 7:9 (7-10); Mosiah 27:14-16 b Gen. 8:21; 3 Ne. 22:9 (8-10); TG Flood c TG Earth, Cleansing of d Deut. 32:25; JS-H 1:45
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23 But it is by the aprayers of the righteous
that ye are spareda; now therefore,
if ye will bcast out the righteous from among you
then will not the Lord stay his
handb; but in his fierce anger he
will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by
pestilence, and by the sword; and the ctime is soon
at hand except ye repentc.
24 And now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out, saying: This man doth revile against our laws which are just, and our wise alawyers whom we have selected. 25 But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation, why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he may have power over you, to ablind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth?
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23a it is by the prayers of the righteous
that ye are spared Alma himself was spared and saved due to the
prayers of his father Alma in his behalf. This is a testimony to the power of
prayer that it can stay the hand of God and spare the wicked even unto
repentance and redemption. In the case of Ammonihah, it was only the presence
of the righteous and their prayers among them which had spared the city to
this point. Exactly who these righteous were is not stipulated, perhaps some
aging parents or a wife for her children and husband. This raises hope to
those who seem to stand alone in their righteousness and encourages them to
never give up in their prayers unto God for their loved ones for their prayers
are heard and they are answered to the preserving of the wicked unto the hope
of repentance.
23b if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then eill not the Lord stay his hand Though the hard hearted wicked do persecute and oppress the righteous, it is by their very presence that the wicked are preserved as the wheat among the tares. Remove the righteous and the Lord's destruction is no longer stayed as is seen in the lesson and destruction of Ammonihah. 23c the time is soon at had except ye repent This is an often heard warning to the wicked that the day of the Lord is even at the door least they repent. It commonly lulls people into ignoring the warning since it can seem to be heard without fulfillment. Perhaps the warning has brought enough into repentance to stay the general destruction, but often individual destruction does soon follow. And in the case of the entire city of Ammonihah, it did almost immediately follow that as soon are the wicked had been expelled and murdered and Alma and Amulek did withdraw, the whole great city of Ammonihah was destroyed in but one single day. |
23a
TG
Prayer b 2 Chr. 13:9; Moro. 9:14 c TG Procrastination 24a Alma 10:14 25a 2 Cor. 4:4 (3-4); Alma 14:6; Moses 6:27
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26 For behold, have I testified against your law? Ye do not
understand; ye say that I have spoken against your law; but I
have not, but I have spoken in favor of your law, to your
condemnation.
27 And now behold, I say unto you, that the foundation of the adestruction of this people is beginning to be laid by the bunrighteousness of your clawyers and your judges.
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27a
Alma 8:16;
Alma 9:12 (4, 12, 18, 24) b TG Injustice c Luke 11:46 (45-52); 2 Ne. 28:16
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28 And now it came to pass that when Amulek had spoken these words
the people cried out against him, saying: Now we know that this man is a
achild of the devil, for he hath blied
unto us; for he hath spoken against our law. And now he says that he has not
spoken against it.
29 And again, he has reviled against our lawyers, and our judges. 30 And it came to pass that the lawyers put it into their hearts that they should remember these things against him.
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28a
John 7:20 b Alma 14:2
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31 And there was one among them whose name was Zeezrom. Now he was
the foremost to aaccuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of
the most expert among them, having much business to do among the people.
32 Now the object of these lawyers was to get gaina; and they got gain aaccording to their employ.
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31a
Alma 11:21 (20-36) 32a Alma 11:1-3
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